Cooler winter weather means Spanish Ski Resorts Open on 1st December |
| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Nov 30 2007 at 10:23 AM |
Winter 2007/2008 looks set to be a good season for skiing in Spain, where resorts in both northern (Pyrenees) and southern (Sierra Nevada) are due to open on 1st December.
In contrast to the 2006/07 ski season, when the warm winter weather meant little snow and a quiet time for the ski resorts, this year looks set to be a good one for the skiiers in Spain and the better-known ski resorts are set to open on 1st December.
The Spanish love to start skiing during the two weeks leading up to Christmas and this can be a lucrative time for the Spanish skiing industry. Last year lack of snow made the Christmas season a quiet time for the industry, but this year, the rain in Spain and colder weather are good news for the resorts throughout Spain.
In the south of Spain, the Andalucian resort of The Sierra Nevada has had a heavy snow recently and, supplemented with snow cannons, it looks like the resort will be ready to open on the 1st December, as scheduled. The resort is easily accessed from both Granada and Malaga airports, both of which have cheap flights from the UK. Another advantage of the Sierra Nevada resort is its proximity to the southern Costa Tropical - the weather here can be chilly, but plenty of sunshine during the day makes it a popular destination for those looking for the winter sun.
In the north of Spain, one of the best resorts and largest in the Pyrenees is due to open on the 1st December too. The resort of Baqueira-Beret will only open some of its 33 slopes (a total of 104 kilometres of pistes) - 13 kilometres of slopes and 11 ski lifts will open. The snow here is currently around 20 to 25 cm's deep, but with 549 snow cannons the resort has plenty of facilities to ensure good skiing even at the start of the season. The nearest airport is Toulouse, France.
Also the resorts of Cerler and Formigal in the Pyrenees will open on 1st December. They will have 14 and 11 kilometres skiable respectively. Both resorts will be offering a 15% discount on all day passes.
The resort of Valdezcaray in the region of La Rioja is also due to open this weekend, weather permitting. Snow is currently falling and they predict that 3 slopes will be open - 2.1 kms, 2 green and one blue slope. They also plan to have an open day, when people will be able to use the slopes for free to get to the the resort and new features there.
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